Martinet's foible
by Elkica
Summary: When Renji gave into Rurichiyo Kasumioji's request to become her older brother, to become a part of noble Kasumioji house, he didn't count on the fact that he would get a request for Joining, which can not be rebuffed. He tries anyway and fails miserably.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.:** Wrote this one for bleach bigbang and I actually had this story in mind since I wrote Stolen Moments, I just hadn't had time to write it until now. The Stolen Moments can be regarded as this story prologue. Hope I managed to keep all the main actors in characters and follow cannon, and that you would enjoy in story.

**Summary: **When Renji gave into Rurichiyo Kasumioji's request to become her older brother, to become a part of noble Kasumioji house, he didn't count on the fact that he would get a request for Joining, which can not be rebuffed. He tries anyway and fails miserably.

**Warnings:** Kissing and swearing

Betaed by wonderful diluain, all the remaining mistakes are mine.

* * *

**Martinet's foible, I. part**

Renji Abarai scratched the back of his neck, his fingers itching to tug at the strands of hair that were wound into a flower on the left side of his head; a configuration that should have highlighted the elegance and gracefulness of his dark blue _kimono_ with its light green bamboo pattern, but it only managed to look alien on him. It made him feel awkward, but not as awkward as the attention of the nobility that stared, scrutinized him as if he were an exotic pet, something out of the ordinary.

Renji lifted the cup of sake and took a sip. He tried to ignore the whispers around him and Kenryuu's glare, and just out of spite, he drained the cup before he set in on the low table.

Kenryuu's glare intensified.

Renji uncomfortably shifted on his knees and sighed. This was supposed to be a party, a small celebration with family members and friends, a gesture to welcome him into the bosom of the Kasumioji family, but as the guest of honour under the close scrutiny of two hundred people, he was the one who was having the least fun. He looked left, at the far end of U-shaped table, where a group of people drew disapproving frowns with bursts of laughter and loud talk. The place where Renji longed to be, among his friends, enjoying himself, but as a member of Kasumioji family he had to sit by his new sister, Rurichiyo, among old men and wrinkled women.

He had known that it was a bad idea even at the beginning when Rurichiyo Kasumioji couldn't get Ichigo as her brother because he already had a family, had turned her attention to him.

Renji put his hands in his lap. He felt flattered, and the thought of his _taichou_'s face when he accepted the offer amused him for days, but he couldn't understand why she has chosen him. She said because he and Ichigo were similar – which was nonsense, just a fable of a child's mind. He was nothing like that loud-mouthed, rude and rash kid. No, there was not one similarity between them.

Renji hadn't intended to accept Rurichiyo's offer, even though it would be nice to have a young sibling, something similar to what they used to be with Rukia before she became part of Kuchiki family. They were still friends, good friends, but it wasn't the same, their paths and destiny parted, they weren't a family anymore like they had been as children. But he had ended up in Kasumioji's family register anyway –Rurichiyo excelled at persuading and nagging, and since she had assured him that except the address of his residence nothing else would change, he accepted just to get her, the annoying brat, and her two bodyguards off his back. What a mistake.

Renji sighed, he was tempted to drink another cup of sake, hell, to drain the sake bottle that stood on the table, but surprisingly he knew better. In the past behaviour like that would have disgraced only him, now getting drunk among nobility would disgrace the Kasumioji's house. He was just an adopted member without any substance and even so the pressure of the family name weighed on his shoulders. He could only imagine the pressure on Byakuya as the head of Kuchiki family. No wonder his _taichou_ was always in a sour mood.

He shook his head. Why was he even thinking about Byakuya at a time like this? Who cared about him, when there was a whole evening of torture to survive?

#

Renji rubbed his forehead as if that would hush the beating of the pain in his skull, the result of last night's drinking with Tetsuzaemon Iba and other members of Shinigami Men's Association, a thank-you for succumbing to their request to provide a room for their club in Kasumioji mansion. If only Hisagi had kept quiet about his new status, but at least they had sworn not to tell anybody outside the club about it. Somehow, when he had become a member of the nobility, the thought of boasting about being on the same level as Byakuya and seeing _taichou_'s face hadn't seemed as fun as before.

And on top of the headache, he was fifteen minutes late, and on his first working day after three weeks leave – Byakuya was not going to be pleased. Renji lingered before the sixth division's office, his _taichou_'s and his. He took a deep breath, opened the door and stepped inside the office, which only held two desks, three chairs and two cabinets.

Byakuya was already sitting behind the desk facing the door, his pen scribbling on the paper. He lifted his head and raised his eyebrows. "You are late."

"I'm sorry, _taichou_." Renji rushed toward his desk that stood perpendicular to the door, wondering if he really had seen a small smile flashing on Byakuya's face or if that had been just a fragment of his imagination, a sign that he should get some rest after work.

But no, he saw it again later, caught it from the corner of his eye just as he was leaving for a lunch break. He blinked and shook his head. Could the impossible - something he thought he would never experienced - be happening? Was Byakuya in a good mood?

Even though those smiles could be just his imagination, Renji wondered about the possibilities that could have put a smile on Byakuya's face. Had Ichigo finally called him Byakuya-sama or Kuchiki-san? Or had Ichigo given his Shinimami substitute notice? Or maybe the Shinigami Women's Association had finally stopped using the Kuchiki mansion for their meetings?

No, if any of those had happened, he would probably already have heard about it. So what was it? The thought didn't leave him even as he leaned on the fence observing Byakuya walking among fighting recruits, correcting their stance here and there.

"Hey."

Renji turned sideways and gave a smile to the black-haired girl who leaned on the rail beside him. "Oy, Rukia." Then he turned back toward the training ground, his gaze following the long-haired beauty.

As if he could feel Renji's gaze, Byakuya turned and where Renji expected a frown was a ghost of a smile that disappeared as soon as Byakuya gave his attention to the recruit beside him.

_Was it even there? _Renji scratched his neck.

"What was that?"

Renji faced Rukia. "You saw it, too? I'm not imagining it?"

"He's done it before?" Rukia asked. "When did he start to ogle you?"

"What are you talking about?" Renji straightened. "What ogling? I'm talking about the smiles."

"He smiled? Don't be stupid, Nii-sama only smiles on special occasions and this isn't one of them." Rukia tilted her head. "But he was ogling you. It was so obvious - Don't look at me like I have two heads. It was obvious. You are a man, a stupid man at that –"

"Oy," Renji objected.

"And also pretty clueless about the things around you most of the time; that's probably why you haven't noticed it," Rukia continued without even pausing at Renji's objection. "Yeah, men are stupid like that."

Renji raised his eyebrows. He thought about saying something, but in the end he decided there was no point, and besides there was the threat of having to go through one of Rukia's explanations and he wasn't in the mood for the rainbows and rabbit version of himself and Byakuya. "Whatever."

"You don't believe me?"

Renji glanced in Byakuya's direction. Byakuya ogling him? More likely glaring at him, not ogling him. "What are you doing here anyway? Isn't your shift over?"

"Yours is finished too, and you are still hanging here."

"I thought I'd be able to spar with _taichou_." Renji lied. He lingered here because he wanted to see more of the smiles that softened Byakuya's face, even if they were only his imagination. "But he's more interested in this year's recruits."

"Like he is every year." Rukia's eyes narrowed and scrutinized Renji like she was looking for something fishy, then her mouth stretched in a knowing smile.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Just spit it out."

"You could invite me to tea." Rukia ignored him and changed the subject.

Renji thought about pushing for an answer, but then decided there was no point; it was probably just girl stuff, nothing worth mentioning anyway. "You just want to eat chef's _manju_."

"But they are so good."

"Sure. Sure." Renji rolled his eyes and cast a last glance in Byakuya's direction before he pushed himself off the fence. Since Rukia had tried Kasumioji chef's sweets, she quite often invited herself to tea, but he didn't mind; it was kind of sweet, and Rurichiyo always welcomed Rukia's company. He put his hands behind his neck and with Rukia strolled toward the Kasumioji's mansion.

They passed the mansion's gate and went toward Renji's quarters, which were situated at the Eastern Pavilion and had a wonderful view over the garden's pond. Renji directed Rukia to his room's _engawa_, while he went toward the kitchen to order tea and sweets.

"Abarai-san!"

Renji turned toward the voice, toward Kenryuu, who gazed at him with an even more serious expression than usual, if that was even possible. "Aren't I Kasumioji-sama, now?"

"You are Abarai Renji and you would stay Abarai Renji even though you are part of Kasumioji family now."

"I still think that you should call me Kasumioji-sama." Renji smiled, enjoying the way Kenryuu's lips narrowed. It felt good to rattle Kenryuu's calm surface.

"You are Abarai-san. Abarai-san. And there's no way I'm going to call you Kasumioji-sama or even Abarai-sama."

"Whatever." Renji with amusement watched the vein on Kenryuu's temple. "What do you want?"

"Rurichiyo-sama has an important announcement for you." Kenryuu calmed down a little. "If you would follow me?"

Renji lifted his tattooed brows. "Now? I have a visitor."

"Yes, now. It's important."

Renji rolled his eyes, but followed Kenryuu thought the hallways anyway. He expected to be guided toward Rurichiyo's room, but instead the direction in which he was led brought them into the Main Building, in the Great Hall, which meant that this was an official announcement.

Renji frowned as the _fusuma_ slid open and Rurichiyo waited for him sitting on the pillow on the pedestal. He crossed the room, not even giving a glance to the men sitting in the three rows of four before the stairs, but climbed the stairs and kneeled on the next to the last one. _What was this about?_ _Nothing good, probably_. All this noble stuff was too much for him. Why had he even agreed to become a part of it? Oh, yeah, the nagging.

From her place on the left side Rurichiyo picked up a silver box, put it before Renji and opened it. "We received this today. For you."

Renji stared at the box, at the engraved flowers that decorated the lid of the box.

"It's a request for your hand."

"What?"

"And because it comes from a Noble House more powerful than ours, we can't decline."

"What?"

"I'm sorry Renji. I know I told you that your life was not going to change and now I'm talking about a Joining."

"What?" Renji couldn't wrap his mind around Rurichiyo's words. _She has to be kidding, right? Right? _"Who put you up to this? The Strawberry?"

"Leave us."

All the men except Kenryuu , who stood by the _fusuma_, rose without a sound and left the room.

"It's not a joke, Renji. Somebody wants a Joining with you."

"What is that?"

"A union of two noble families."

"Something like marriage?" Renji stood up.

"Yes."

_She had to be kidding._ Renji's lips stretched into a fake smile. "And who would want to marry me?"

"I'm sorry, I promised not to tell you yet."

Renji blinked then blinked again. "This is stupid. So what was the point of calling me here, if you can't tell me anything?" He turned and strode down the stairs and toward the _fusuma_. "And I don't intend to get married; I'm too young for that."

Kenryuu blocked the exit. "It's a Joining, not marriage."

"Whatever. Move."

"Renji, I can't reject the offer. If I do, our house, our family, loses its status. I'm sorry."

"You can't make me." Renji threw over his shoulder before he, when Kenryuu refused to step aside, took his Zanpakutou and made a hole in the wooden wall. He stepped through it into the hallway, ignoring Kenryuu's yelling. He wrinkled his brows together as he strolled back to his room looking far more composed than he felt. _Joining? What the hell!_

#

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Rukia's hand shook Renji's shoulders.

"Yes, I am. You finally noticed Byakuya smiling." Renji shifted his head and leaned his cheek on the pillow of his arms that were leaned on the desk so that he could look at the black-haired girl who sat on the edge of his desk.

"I have to find out what's going on with Nii-sama. And you are going to help me."

"The man is just in a good mood, Rukia. Let him be."

"It's unnatural." Rukia slid down from the table. "Don't you find it strange? Doesn't it make you wonder?"

Renji did find it strange, and in other circumstances he would also be plagued by Byakuya's good mood and want nothing more than to help Rukia find out the reason behind it, but he had his own problems. And damn, as his friend, Rukia should have noticed that something was wrong with _him_. Yeah, she should have. He straightened. "Rukia, you are horrible. All you can think of is your Nii-sama. And he's just in a good mood. What about me? Haven't you noticed anything out of the ordinary about me?"

"Nope. You do seem a little down lately, but you get like that every time you lose a fight with Ichigo or Nii-sama." She leaned closer and splayed her fingers on the desk. "Now, listen, I have already been following Nii-sama for the past week, but he doesn't go anywhere special and there are no new people in his life. So, I was thinking –"

"Rurichiyo wants to get me married." Renji cut in, annoyed that his best friend was more concerned with her adopted brother's good mood than her best friend's bad mood.

"Huh?"

"She calls it Joining, but it's marriage, and to some stranger. She doesn't even want to tell me who, even though she reassured me that she's a beauty." Renji hung his head. "I don't want to get tied up with a stranger, but Kenryuu has been following me everywhere, annoying me and Rurichiyo is begging me, she even went and got on her knees and she's trying to bribe me. Just the other day she bought me twenty Silver Dragon Glasses and she refuses to take them back. What am I supposed to do?" He signed.

"Renji, the Joining..."

"What?"

"You should find out who your partner is and then decide what to do, but I don't think you would like it."

"Why?"

"Joining is an expression used only for unions between –"

"Rukia." Byakuya's voice drew Renji's and Rukia's attention toward the door. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your barracks?" He stepped forward.

"Nii-sama." Rukia straightened. "I'm waiting for you." From the folds of her _kosode_ she pulled out a letter and gave it to Byakuya. "From Ukitake-_taicho_."

Byakuya took the paper and, walking around his desk, unfolded it and skimmed over the lines. "I see. Thank you." He sat down, took a paper out of his drawer, wrote on it, then folded it together and offered it to Rukia. "My answer."

Rukia nodded and took the letter. As she passed Renji's desk, she said, "We'll talk about it later, Renji, okay?"

"Yeah." Renji gave her a small smile, then his focus was on the stacks of papers that hadn't decreased since Byakuya had sailed out the door, and now that Byakuya was back, he should at least pretend to be working. He took a paper, looked over it, signed it and put it on the small pile on his right.

"Renji."

Renji looked up.

Byakuya stood up and went toward Renji's desk. "I need you to go to the Living World to Urahara's shop and bring me the things listed here." He gave Renji a slip of paper.

"Umm, _taichou_, couldn't you ask somebody else to do it? Right now going to the Human World is a little..." Renji's words died under Byakuya's glare. He groaned. "I'll go, I'll go." And he did, but only after he went through and signed all the three stacks that were on his desk. Damn that black-haired snob. If Byakuya was sending him somewhere at least he could be gracious enough to do his work, the bastard. But at least, Renji comforted himself, he would have some free time, maybe he would visit Ichigo and annoy the hell out of him, which in the end turned out to be a false hope.

Renji ended up stuck in the Human World for three days, with Uruhara keeping him so busy that he didn't even go outside the shop's yard, let alone have any quality time with his human friends. And on top of it, he had that annoying brat taunting him; if he hadn't been against violence against children, he would have trashed that little snot until his ass was all blue and taught him to show his elders – Renji – some respect, damn it. He did have a fit or two when nobody was watching to let off some steam and so he could tolerate Jintai's railing until Uruhara managed to gather all the things Byakuya requested and it was time to go home.

He used the Kasumioji's _Senkaimon_ and just as he stepped through it, he saw in the distance a procession entering Kasumioji's mansion. Was that a Kuchiki House's banner? His curiosity didn't allow him to return to his barracks, but masking his _reiatsu_ and using flash steps he sneaked from the garden into the main building just so he could catch sight of Byakuya, who was in the middle of the procession, entering the main hall. _What the hell was Byakuya doing here?_

Renji frowned. He hadn't do anything wrong, had he? And even if he had, since he hadn't notified Byakuya about the change of his status, and since as far as Byakuya knew, Renji was still in the Human World, Byakuya wouldn't be coming to Kasumioji's mansion because of him.

He stared at the wall, the bag with objects Byakuya had ordered heavy in his hand.

"Renji-san." A brown haired boy in oversized _kimono_ tugged on Renji's sleeve.

Renji looked down at Kannogi**, **Rurichiyo's fiancé.

"Come with me." Kannogi lead him down the hallway, then left and through the hidden door into the door with stairs.

"What's going on?" Renji put the bag in the corner of the room.

"You weren't supposed to come home until tomorrow, but hell-butterfly informed Rurichiyo that you used the door." Kannogi stammered over his shoulder as he climbed up the stair. "Rurichiyo is sorry that this is happening behind your back, but she promised that she wouldn't tell, but... but she doesn't have anything against you finding out on your own."

"Finding out what?"

Kannogi stepped on the landing of small, narrow room. "You'll see. Come. Come."

"What is this?" Renji followed Kannogi.

"It's a gallery above the main hall. I go here sometimes when Rurichiyo has long meetings at which I'm not allowed." Kannogi closed the distance of one step that divided him from the narrow door opposite the stairs. "We have to be quiet now or they'll notice us." He slid the door open and stepped on one of the narrow railed walkways which hidden in darkness crossed the space above the hall. He gestured to Renji to follow him.

They tiptoed over the walkway toward where Byakuya and Rurichiyo sat on the platforms; the other members of Houses sitting a distance away. Renji couldn't distinguish the words the groups whispered among themselves, but as he moved above Byakuya and Rurichiyo he could hear perfectly well the conversation between the two. He kneeled down.

"He's still against it and I don't know how I can persuade him to change his mind." Rurichiyo's voice floated above.

"I see."

"But maybe if he learns that you are the one who requested the Joining, he might change his mind. Let me tell him."

_What?_ Renji couldn't believe his ears. He looked at Kannogi, who nodded on his unspoken question. _Byakuya was the one who requested the Joining!_ Renji felt rage clouding his vision, and his hands curled, the fingernails cutting into the softness of the palms. Was that why Byakuya was in such a good mood lately? Because he was going to make a fool out of Renji, something that his _taichou_ seemed to take great pleasure in, the bastard.

"I'm afraid that I can't allow that," Byakuya said.

"But, if he doesn't agree, what should I do? The Joining is the day after tomorrow."

"We will proceed as planned and don't worry about Renji, I'll take care of him."

_He will take care of me._ Renji growled and he was ready to jump on Byakuya, to strangle the bastard with his bare hands, when a voice in the back of his head stopped him.

"Zabimaru," Renji whispered.

_Calm down, Renji, and think about this. _

_What was there to think about it?_ Renji glared at the top of Byakuya's head.

_Renji!_

"Renji-san?" Kannogi in low voice asked.

Renji signed. Zabimaru was right. He should try to calm down, since having a fit in the middle of the Houses' meeting would only worsen his situation, not improve it. He sighed again. Damn, being a member of the nobility was hard and suffocating and too much trouble.

"I'm leaving," Renji formed with his mouth. He stood up and returned to the small room where he had left the bag. He sat down on the last stair.

"Renij-san, are you alright?" Kannogi, who followed him, put a hand on Renji's shoulder.

"I'm fine. I just need some time." Renji's voice sounded rushed and shallow. He had to come to terms with the fact that Byakuya meant for Rukia to marry him and him, without even telling them, just to gain more influence. What a bastard.

Kannogi stepped before Renji, laced his fingers and bowed his head. "I'm...I'm sorry that you have to learn this way. Rurichiyo promised not tell you, but she felt that you needed to know."

"Could you leave me alone?"

Kannogi nodded and left the room.

Renji leaned back on the stair and looked up at the ceiling. "What should I do?"

"What do you want to do?" A white-furred baboon with a snake as his tail appeared beside the stairs.

"Punch the jerk. Destroy something." Renji looked at Zabimaru. "I'm so angry, and not being able to rage, to let off some steam– look!" He showed his shaking hand to the baboon. "I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't do something." He pushed the heels of his hands against his eyes and sighed again, trying to rein in the redness that threatened to overcome him. It used to be so easy. When he was angry, he had the liberty to show it, and if he came across as a dumbass, so be it, but now he couldn't exactly barge into the hall and attack Byakuya, could he? "Damn it. Damn it."

"Renji. What do you want to do besides punching Byakuya?"

"Spoil the Joining. Shame him," Renji said. "I always admired him, respected him, even found him beautiful, but the only thing he has done is look down on me. Maybe if he would tell me the reason behind Joining, I might even consider it - in name only since I only see Rukia as a friend."

"Renji, what about if Byakuya is the one –"

"What are you talking about? Don't be ridiculous." Renji laughed it off. "And even if by some miracle he is – which he isn't, he can't be – he's a man and I only like women."

The baboon coughed, while the snake hissed, "What about that time with Hisagi at Shino Academy?"

"That was just an experiment." Renji lifted his head and glared at the white snake. "That doesn't count."

"If you say so," the baboon said.

"What about the other day, didn't you call Byakuya's name while you mastur –"

"That was not my fault!" Renji jumped up. "I was thinking about women, about their sexy curves when all of the sudden his face appeared before my eyes, of course, I yelled Byakuya – in surprise."

"You came."

"Shut up!" Renji groaned. "I'm not lusting over the _taichou_. I'm not." He was not. It was just that one time, and it was because of those smiles. They lighted Byakyua's face, showed sun and the joy and that's why Byakuya's face appeared in his mind while he... erm... Yeah, it was those smiles' fault.

"I never said that you were."

"He did." Renji pointed at the snake.

"Let's not argue here." Baboon strode closer to Renji and sat down. "We are here to support you, not to quarrel with you, isn't that right Snaky?"

"Yeah," the snake moved behind the baboon. "And you are not shaking anymore, are you?"

Renji looked at his hands. They really weren't trembling anymore. That was good, but the anger, even though it was forgotten for a moment, was still there, and there was no way in hell he was going to let it slide. "Byakuya doesn't know that I have arrived or that I know about his role in the Joining yet," Renji thought out loud. "Maybe I could take him by surprise and – yeah, that's what I'm going to do." He picked up the bag and rushed out of the room and out of the mansion, toward the 6th Division's barracks.

#

Renji put his hands under his head and his lips stretched into a big grin; he couldn't help himself. Tomorrow morning the Joining would start and he was on vacation in the Human World, approved by his _taichou_.

He chuckled. The memory of Byakuya's face as he requested vacation because of personal matters still amused him. _Personal matters!_ He chuckled again. Of course, Byakuya had to know why, but if he didn't want to betray his involvement, he had to give him the free days. He had tried to wiggle out of it, of course, but Renji was ready; before he even asked, he had found a substitute and managed to have an answer to all of Byakuya's excuses.

Yes! Renji: one, Byakuya: zero.

Renji smirked and rolled on his stomach. That was the first time he had outsmarted his _taichou_ and it felt so good. Really good. He was a little sorry for Rurichiyo, and was afraid that his disappearance would shame Kasumioj House, but since she was the one that had sent Kannogi to guide him above the main hall so he could hear what Byakuya had to say, she had probably assumed what Renji's reaction was going to be and she probably had a backup plan.

He looked at Chad, who snored on the futon beside him. He would rather go to Ichigo's place, he felt more comfortable there, but that would be the first place they would search for him, so he hadn't even picked up his gigai, but just appeared before Chad's window, begging the big man to house him for a few days.

And it was fun to hang out with Chad, sort of. Chad was spare with words, so they spent the evening watch TV with Renji drinking beer, which gave him such a wonderful buzz in his blood. Yeah, right now life was good.

He looked at the clock on the cabinet beside the TV. It was three in the morning; he had already taken a shower and he should probably go to sleep, but somehow he wasn't sleepy.

A soft sound could be heard from the direction of the window and Renji turned sideways toward it, his gaze encountering legs in black _hakama_ and the edges of a captain's coat coming toward him.

_What the fuck? _Renji looked up, his eyes stopping on the delicate face framed with long black hair. He rubbed his eyes, but when he opened them, the man still stood there, towering over him. He frowned, thinking that he might be so drunk already that he was imagining Byakuya, but he hissed anyway, "What are you doing here? I'm on my vacation. Go away! " Something he would never say to his _taichou_ sober.

He closed his eyes and buried his head in the pillow, pretending that seeing Byakuya, imaginary or not, standing beside his futon was a normal thing, while his heart hammered in his chest and he fought to keep his breath even. _What was going on? _Why was he imagining Byakuya? Couldn't there be at least one day without that man in his line of vision?

Renji's ears caught the rustle of clothes and he could feel silken tassels against his cheeks and smell cherries.

"I'm sorry." Byakuya's voice brushed Renji's ear, the voice whose tone said that Byakuya wasn't sorry at all. "But your little trip to the Outside world had just been revoked."

Renji frowned and opened his eyes, intend on demanding what the hell Byakuya meant by that when Byakuya's fingers touched the back of his neck and the world turned into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Martinet's foible, II. part**

First wisps of whiteness broke the darkness as Renji blinked with his sticky eyelids. He wanted to rub his face, but when he lifted his hands they felt heavy and they obeyed him with delay and without coordination; he lightly smacked himself. Whoa.

He stared at the wooden ceiling, trying to go beyond the fog in his brain, but every time his brain tried to form a thought, a pain echoed in his head. He pushed himself up like that might clear his thoughts, but it didn't. He still felt like he was drunk and having a hangover at the same time. He bent his knees and leaned on them.

Fingers touched Renji's crimson hair and ran though it.

Renji slowly turned his head; he saw blurred features of a person and long black hair. "_Taichou._" His voice was cracked and his throat bone dry.

Byakuya withdrew his hand and pulled himself up from his squatting position. "It's time. You can start with preparations."

Foreign, gentle hands touched Renji, helped him up and sat him down before the dressing table. His hair was combed and pulled back to be tied up at the back of his neck, before the hands started to undress him to replace his simple grey _yukata_ with _hadajuban, nagajuban _andlight green _kimono. _After the _obi _was tied around his waist, the hands lifted him, straightened things here and there and silently guided him out of the room, ignoring Renji's one-word questions.

Renji tried to focus on the face that went with the hands or on his surroundings, but every time he hoped his sight would clear as he pushed beyond the pain, he fell back in the blurred world. _What was going on? What's happening?_ "_Taichou._" He called for the only familiar thing.

"Kuchiki-sama is already in the hall, waiting for you, so that the ceremony can start," a woman's voice said.

"Huh?" The words tumbled in Renji's brain, but he couldn't grasp the meaning.

He was led into a large space, across the room where at its front, on the lifted platform he was seated on _zaisu_. He could feel his _taichou's_ _reiatsu _beside him, the familiarity of it putting him at ease. An elegant hand briefly touched his before a monotonous voice from somewhere in front of him started to recite. Renji could see the white blob that represented the man, but he couldn't distinguish the shape of it. He leaned back in the chair and probably dozed off since the next thing he was aware of was somebody slightly shaking him. He opened his eyes and the smell of cherry blossoms drifted into his lungs.

"Renji, are you tired?" Byakuya whispered in his ear.

"Yes," Renji said.

"Say it louder," Byakuya urged him before the warmth of his breath withdrew.

"Yes," Renji repeated, taking Byakuya's question as a permission to lie down, but when he leaned sideways, Byakuya's hand hindered his descent, and that annoying, dull voice, which Renji hadn't heard when he roused, started to recite again. He just wanted to sleep. He wanted to lie down and allow the mist in his head to invade his all senses and to pull him into the darkness. Why couldn't they let him sleep?

He dozed off again and the next time he woke up, his head felt lighter as hands helped him to stand and guided him out of the room, he could even distinguish the close surroundings: a large room with people kneeling on the pillows in rows – _Why were there so many people? Was there a party or something? _Renji looked to his escort, five girls dressed in plain white _kimono_. _And what with them?_ He swatted their hands away; his legs were weak, but he was damned if he would let girls help him walk. "I can... I can walk... on... my own." His knees gave out on him.

"Renji, they are doing their job. Let them." A strong hand grabbed Renji's forearm, helping him to stay upright.

Renji looked to his right, seeing Byakuya walking beside him. _What was taichou doing here?_ "_Taichou_?"

"Renji." Byakuya smiled at him. Just a slight curve of lips that would probably go unnoticed by most people, but not Renji, not even in this state.

Renji knew his _taichou_, reading subtle signs of Byakuya's body language was now a second nature to him, and he saw sun and joy in that smile. It was weird, but not as weird as Byakuya's arm that, when they made it to the hallway, wrapped around his waist and forced him to lean against Byakuya's side. _What was going on?_ The last thing he remembered he had been at Chad's, hiding before – He looked at Byakuya, his eyes widening.

_Renji: zero, Byakuya: one_, Renji could hear snake's voice in his head.

"You... You drugged me ... tricked me… _you_ Joined with me!" The betrayal and disappointment choked Renji. His _taichou_ could be many things, cold and aloof, but Renji could never imagine him being evil like that. "Why?" With his weak limbs he tried to push himself away from Byakuya. "Why? Tell me why?"

Byakuya ignored Renji as he dismissed the girls before he dragged a weakly struggling Renji down the hallway.

"Why?" Renji wasn't about to let it go, even as he was pulled through a _fusuma_ and then pushed on a bed; the fragile knot of a ribbon that held his hair tied unstrung and crimson tassels fanned across the embroidered cover. He cursed his inability to properly fight against Byakuya. He might not come out as a winner – he never did – but at least that way he could show how strong his resentment was. And yes, he might curse the man, hurl one insult after another at him, but somehow he never could show his temper to his _taichou_, not even in a situation like that.

"Because I could." Byakuya climbed over Renji, his cold hand touched Renji's cheek. "Because I finally could."

#

Renji stared through the slit between the panels that divided the bedroom from the bathroom, at the large wooden bathtub, at the naked back and the wet black hair that hung over it. He shook his head to pull himself out of the daze, his gaze falling on the _kenseikan _that lay on the bedside table.

It was so unreal, unreal as the things that happened yesterday: the Joining, finding himself at Byakuya's side, then in Byakuya's room, on Byakuya's bed, with Byakuya's fingers touching him, sliding under the fold of the fabric. They hadn't gone all the way; if Byakuya had used his immobility for rape, Renji would have hated him and trashed the place and Byakuya with it as soon as his strength came back. No, Byakuya was smarter – the crafty jerk – he gently held him, softly touched him and kissed him, making Renji now feel strangely embarrassed and horny with just one glance at his _taichou_'s naked body. And there was also this burning feel of betrayal that twisted his stomach into a knot and clawed at his insides.

_Shit_. _Why did the Joining and Byakuya's betrayal hurt so much? _Renji hid his face in his hands.

The splash of water made Renji raise his head; he saw Byakuya wring the water out of his hair, which pushed Renji into action. He stood and from the low bench at the foot of the bed picked up the folded clothes he had worn yesterday for the ceremony and in a rush pulled them on. It looked sloppy, but Renji didn't care. When he had woken up Byakuya was already in the tub, which, after Renji got his bearing, suited him just fine, and he had intended to sneak out, when flashes of Byakuya's skin took his breath away and rooted him to the spot for a few precious moments.

He tiptoed toward the door, slid it open and slipped through it.

"Renji, where do you think you are going?"

"Home." Renji stiffened under the hand that touched his shoulder; he looked over his shoulder at Byakuya clad only in a towel that hung around his hips.

"This is your home now." Byakuya moved closer; the water dripped down from his hair and body onto the floor and wetted Renji's _kimono_ wherever Byakuya's skin came in contact with the fabric.

"I don't think so." Renji brushed Byakuya's hand off, praying that the heat he felt in his cheeks wasn't visible, turned forward and strode along the hallway. He had to get out; he had to get away from Byakuya and just distance himself from this strange, new feeling that squeezed all the air out of his lungs and made his heartbeat sound like a parade drum. What was it? Lust? The pain of finding out that Byakuya wasn't as noble as Renji expected?

"Renji." Byakuya used flash step to overrun Renji and to prevent Renji's progression. "You are not allowed to leave this manor."

"What?"

"I forbid you to leave this house. Return to the room."

Renji couldn't believe his ears. How dare Byakuya order him around like that after everything that he had done? "You made fool out of me, something that I should already be used to, right? I was always just a monkey reaching for the moon... " He swallowed the anger that foamed in the pit of his stomach. "You used me for your games, whatever they are. If you had come to me..." He frowned, the beginning of his tattooed eyebrows almost touching. "If you had explained yourself... if you had asked me... I might have agreed to this whole fiasco, but no - you had to drug me and you – You went too far! I don't care if you are my _taichou_ or if you are the head of the one of the Four Noble Houses, I will not obey you anymore!"

"Renji, you are in no position to –"

"You showed me that you are not the same man that I admired and looked up to, so fuck off." Renji pushed past Byakuya, determined that if the man tried to stop him by force, he would fight tooth and nail to get past him. The bastard. But Byakuya didn't tried to stop him anymore and Renji found his way toward the entrance without trouble, well, with small detours since the house was freaking big and he got lost four times and needed directions from passing servants.

He was almost at the door when hearing two voices from around the corner momentarily froze his stride.

"Who would have thought that Byakuya-sama would Join with a man? I didn't think he had such inclinations. "

"Who knows what kind of inclinations that cold man has? But since he Joined with a person from noble family the gender doesn't matter as long as union brings more power to our family. And this one even managed to erase the disgrace of the previous one when he married that commoner. She didn't even have any dowry or connection – how vulgar."

"But have you seen those tattoos and that red hair? Quite indecent."

"Some might call it that, but... he comes from Kasumioji House and is now a member of Kuchiki House... I find his tattoos... refreshing."

"Yes, quite. They suit him well and make him look unique and a little eccentric."

Renji growled, and rushed toward the entrance door and through it before the two snobs, who probably hadn't lifted a finger in their lives and lived on the shoulders of the family in which they had been born, could see him.

He wrinkled his forehead as he hurried past two guards before the door. So, that was the reason for the Joining. Byakuya just wanted to reinforce his House's influence.

Yeah, that sounded like Byakuya, like the cold, calculating _taichou_ that Renji knew and lo – admired.

And maybe to erase the shame of his previous marriage.

Renji stopped and with his palm against the smooth wall leaned against the building, his gaze on the pavement. If you loved somebody and bound yourself with them then you shouldn't be ashamed of that bond no matter what people thought or said. He punched the wall. "You better not be using me for that!" His leaned his forehead against the cold bricks and whispered: "You better not."

#

"I was so happy knowing that we have become family… … … never knew how good could you look … … … Nii-sama seemed so happy, … … ..."

Renji averted his gaze from Rukia, who with a smile on her excited face couldn't stop yapping about the ceremony and the fact that they were now related. He laced his hands in his lap and looked at the lotus blossoms that floated in the pond a stone's throw from his room's _engawa_.

"...explain that Joining is the term for the union between two men, had even drawn pictures –"

"What? You knew?" Renji almost overturned the teapot that was on the tray between him and Rukia.

"Yes, don't you remember? Just before Nii-sama interrupted. I thought of telling you later, but you were sent to the Human World and then the first time I saw you after that was at the Joining ceremony. And you already knew by then." Rukia took the peach-shaped sweet from the plate on the tray and stuffed it into her mouth.

"We still have phones, you could have sent me a message. Why didn't you?"

Rukia swallowed her mouthful. "Why are you getting upset? It doesn't matter anymore. And aren't you happy to be the partner of my Nii-sama? And to become my brother?" She released a happy sigh. "He's so magnificent, isn't he? A perfect big brother. I'm sure he would be a perfect husband too. "

Renji snorted.

Rukia narrowed her eyes at Renji. "Do you doubt Nii-sama's abilities?"

"You would probably beat me if I said yes. With your 'Nii-sama this' and 'Nii-sama that'. Like he's some kind of god!"

Rukia stared at Renji.

Renji pressed his lips together, his hand adjusting the sash of his white, pink-flowered _yukata_.

"I know what this is about."

_Do you_, Renji thought.

"Just because Nii-sama had to go on a mission in the middle of your honeymoon you shouldn't resent him. It wasn't his fault. He got his orders, and you know how he strongly he feels about his obligations. And you are a bad 'wife' if you don't understand that."

She has been fraying his nerves with her praises to Byakuya all afternoon, but being called a 'wife' was the final straw for him. "When did I become the fucking wife?" Renji roared as he jumped up, his hand curled. "I didn't even want this –" He stopped himself before he said too much. He hung his head; his red hair covered his face, and with a tired sigh he rubbed his neck. He had almost ruined Byakuya's lie, the lie that allowed Renji to keep his distance and which allowed him to enjoy Rukia's company without any nagging or questions. "You know how I felt about the whole Joining."

"When you thought that you would be tied to a stranger, right? Before you found out that it was Nii-sama, right?"

Renji closed his eyes for a second. He could tell her the truth. He could tell her how Byakuya forced the Joining on him, but he doubted that she would even believe him with the way she put her Nii-sama on a high pedestal, or even if she did believe him, what would he accomplish? He would only become the person who dirtied the pure image of her beloved Nii-sama. She might even end up hating him. He threw his hands in the air. "What do you expect from me? To be all lovey-dovey with him, just because he's Byakuya?"

"Umm, yeah."

"You aren't all lovey-dovey with your husband, Renji."

Renji looked down at Ichigo, who suddenly appeared before the veranda.

"What rock did you crawl out from under?"

"Was in the neighbourhood and just had to drop by to congratulate the newlywed." Ichigo grinned as he pulled himself on the _engawa _and sat beside Renji's side, opposite to the tray and Rukia.

Renji could feel the vein pulsing at his temple and he ground his teeth, knowing that between Rukia and Ichigo he was bound to lose his temper - those two somehow just knew how to push his buttons to make see him red – and he was right. Before Rukia left for home, he had exploded at least six times, twice coming really close to blurting everything out.

"It weird that just a day after the wedding the happy couple is living apart," Ichigo, leaning on his hands and staring into the cloudless sky, commented as soon as Rukia left.

"Didn't you hear Rukia? His Highness is on a mission." Renji, with his legs stretched out and leaning back on the wall of the house, gazed into the distance.

Ichigo raised his brows.

Renji looked Ichigo "What?"

"He rarely goes on missions alone: He either sends you or goes with you." Ichigo sat sideways so that he was facing Renji. "Except if something big turns up. And lately everything is pretty peaceful."

"What would you know?" Renji tried to brush him off; he pushed the hair that fell on his face behind his ear.

"Rukia believes Byakuya, because she wants to believe him and because she naively thinks that he isn't capable of lying."

"So?" Renji tried not to get irritated. The strawberry always acted on impulse, he had never been known for analyzing things... so why was he doing that now? With things that had nothing to do with him?

"So," Ichigo said as he pulled himself up and crawled closer to Renji. "Something happened between you two. What was it?"

Renji narrowed his eyes at Ichigo.

"Was he trying to have your ass? And you didn't like that?" Ichigo smirked.

Renji grabbed Ichigo's collar and pulled him closer until their noses touched. The little brat. "If you don't stop with your nonsense, I'll have your ass. And I bet _you_ won't like it."

"Have I struck a nerve?" Ichigo grinned.

Renji growled and slammed his palm against Ichigo's chest, then when Ichigo fell down, straddled him and used his weight and his forearm against Ichigo's neck to pin him down; Renji's crimson red hair framed them like a curtain.

"You are suffocating me," Ichigo managed to breathe.

"That's the idea," Renji hissed.

"I'm sorry if I accidentally guessed the truth."

Renji shifted his weight and pressed harder with his forearm.

"I just apologized," Ichigo choked out and clawed at Renji's arm.

"You didn't sound like you meant– " Renji loosened his hold and slightly tilted his head like he was listening to something.

"What?"

"Can't you feel it? The hint of _reiatsu_. Somebody is watching us," Renji whispered.

"I can't feel anything."

"What a surprise." Renji rolled his eyes. "I think it's coming from above the Summer Pavilion. On three we both jump there. Me from the left, you from the right."

"Okay." Ichigo nodded.

"One. Two. Three." Renji jumped up and using flash step he was instantly on the Summer Pavilion's roof, but there was nobody there anymore. Only the faint smell of cherry blooms that must have drifted from the promenade leading from the main house toward the pond. Should he even smell cherry blossoms when the cherry trees had stopped blooming and the fragile pink flowers were gone?

"There's nobody here."

"Of course, there's nobody here; whoever it was, they're gone." Renji smacked the top of Ichigo's head.

"Or maybe there was nobody here to begin with." Ichigo smacked Renji's back.

"No, there was somebody here, I'm positive."

"If there were and we couldn't surprise him, he must be really fast."

"Yeah," Renji nodded, his thoughts for a moment on Byakuya. _He wouldn't, would he?_

"Hey, Renji."

"Huh?"

"Before..."

"Yes." Renji frowned. The brat better not be trying to rattle him again.

"I know I'm young, human and all, but if you ever need somebody to talk to, you know where to find me. Okay?"

"Okay." Renji wrapped his arm around Ichigo's neck and pulled him against his side, while he used the other hand to ruffle orange hair. "Not that I would ever need an advice from a saucy, snot-nosed brat like you."

"Who are you calling a saucy boy, you pineapple?"

"Strawberry."

"Pineapple."

"Strawberry." Renji had to resist the temptation to laugh out loud. Suddenly he felt much better, the strain of last days for a moment forgotten.

#

_Okay, okay, calm down, it's going to be alright._ Renji, his gaze on the paper before him, his fingers tightly wrapped around a pen and a lump in his throat, waited for the door to open. He knew this moment was going to come. Yes, he knew that sooner or later he would have to face his _taichou_.

He had been relieved when he had first come to the barracks after his vacation to find Byakuya was still absent. That gave him time to make some preparations for getting out from under Byakuya's thumb: like filling out a request for a transfer back into the eleventh division, the request that had to be approved by his _taichou_, but with the way Renji had acted the last time they had seen each other, he had no doubt that Byakuya would agree. And demotion, as much it would sting his pride, was all right if that meant being out of Byakuya's reach.

Three, two, one, Renji silently counted as the familiar _reiatsu_ became stronger and stronger.

The door opened and Byakuya crossed the threshold, closing the door behind him. "Good morning."

Renji had to swallow before he replied; his grip on the pen so strong that he felt the wood giving in. He loosened his hold, set the paper before him on the pile on the right and took a new one from the stack of papers on his left.

Byakuya sat down, the scrape of the chair loud in the silence.

A tension hung in the air; thick and heavy it pressed on Renji's nerves. He could hear the scribbling of a pen that told him his _taichou_ had dismissed him and he couldn't decide if he felt relief or annoyance at that. Byakuya had to know about his request, why hadn't he addressed it as soon as he sat down? He put the pen down and took a deep breath, not daring to look in Byakuya's direction. "Kuchiki-_taichou_."

"Yes." The scribbling stopped.

"About my transfer..."

"It has been rejected." Byakuya said before he resumed his writing.

"What? Why?" Renji tensed his jaw and looked at Byakuya. The sight of black circles around Byakuya's eyes and the hollowness of Byaykua's cheeks surprised him. What had happened to the _taichou_?

Byakuya put his pen down in a perfect alignment with other stationery. "Because I will not allow it." His grey eyes gave Renji a hard stare. "I have overlooked your ill-mannered behaviour, have offered excuses for your disappearance after the Joining and have even given you time to come to terms with it, but I will _not_ allow you to run away." Byakuya stood up, went around the desk and stopped before Renji. He laced his fingers behind his back. "And I do expect you to stop your nonsense and move into the Kuchiki manor by the end of this week."

_The damn jerk, who does he thinks he is?_ Renji narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.

"And if you are going to tell me to 'fuck off' like you did before, think again, Abarai Renji." Byakuya's voice was cold and merciless as hollows' hearts, if those creatures even had one.

"You united Kuchiki and Kasumioji Houses; you got what you wanted." Renji wasn't about to back down; where Byakuya was concerned, he had done that too many times. "What more do you want from me? A new servant? Don't you have enough of them? Or..." Ichigo's taunts came to Renji's mind; he leaned forward, a false leer on his face. "Do you want somebody for more intimate –"

Suddenly Renji had his _taichou'_s lips pressed against his. He blinked. But that wasn't the most surprising thing; the most surprising thing was Byakuya's tongue deep in his throat sweeping in carnal rapture, sinfully rubbing his palate, his gums, his tongue, awaking a fervid hunger deep inside Renji. His eyes fluttered closed.

Byakuya's hand cupped Renji's head; he tilted it and deepened the kiss.

And Renji couldn't do anything but hold onto the thread of sanity in the middle of the luscious storm.

The kiss ended and Byakuya slowly straightened himself, his eyes not leaving Renji's face.

Renji's glazed eyed stared at the black-haired man before him. He shook his head, his hand automatically ascending to touch his lips, but he caught himself and hid his trembling hands in his lap. He said, more to himself than to Byakuya, "Is that a yes?"

"Don't be vulgar."

Could that be true? He had jerked him off that time, didn't he? And kissed him right now. Renji frowned. The thought had never crossed his mind, not until now - it was too preposterous. Byakuya wanting him for a lover? It still sounded ridiculous. But what else then? A pet? Somebody to warm his bed? "Then what was this all about?"

"A quick way to shut you up." Byakuya glided back to his table.

Renji licked his lips; he could still feel Byakuya's taste in his mouth. He should be angry, but somehow he wasn't, just disappointed. But disappointed over what? He hid his face in his palms. Everything had become so complicated and he hated it. He hated it.

"Renji," Byakuya's voice interrupted Renji's depression. "I mean it. Forget about transferring to another division, and I expect you to show up in Kuchiki manor at the end of this week, if not sooner."

#

Renji ran toward home, his _waraji_ silent against the stone path. Today was the beginning of the weekend and out of fear that Byakuya would come over after work and do something... erm… not to Renji's liking, he had ordered servants not to let anyone in his chambers except the Shinigami Men's Association, who had just insisted on having a meeting today. But knowing Byakuya, if that man managed to get to his quarters before Renji, no servant would want to stand in his way - well maybe Kenjauu or Enkougawa if that was in Rurichiyo's interest, which it wasn't. Rurichiyo had said that she didn't mind Renji staying in Kasumioji's house, at least she would have company, but she asked him not to involve her in his quarrelling with Byakuya –meaning that she wouldn't go against Byakuya's will.

Renji frowned and turned around the corner, the enclosing walls of Kasumioji's mansion opening before him. He could understand Rurichiyo, it was difficult to deal with an annoyed Byakuya, that was why he had rarely disputed with his _taichou_, until now. It was not that Byakuya became violent or that Renji feared physical encounters, no, it was much worse that that; when Byakuya became annoyed, the air around him started to crack with thunderbolts and the burning glares that he directed at the object of his displeasure scorched like the poison of Mayuri Kurotsuchi's _Zanpakuto_.

As soon as Renji arrived at the gate, they opened for him and he rushed to his rooms. He didn't know how long he would be able to bear the tension that grew with each passing day and he still lived in his rooms in Kasumioji's manor. Or how he would bear the small touches that Byakuya bestowed on him whenever he got the chance and which always sent shivers up Renji's spine and warmed his body with lust. But there was nothing he could do. Without his _taichou_'s consent or giving a pretty damn good reason to the authorities to overlook his _taichou_'s opinion, he couldn't transfer to another division.

He hadn't told anybody what was going on, well, except Rukia, and they hadn't been on speaking terms ever since, especially after he had gotten upset when she tried to justify Byakuya's actions with the love that Byakuya had to feel for him and she could clearly see in his eyes. Yeah, right. And Aizen did what he did out of the goodness of his heart.

Renji went through his rooms, relieved when the servant that appeared assured him that they were empty. He went out on the _engawa_ and fell down on the pillows scattered across the wooden veranda. Another afternoon Byakuya-free. He released a sigh. He needed an outlet, something along the lines of a good drinking party. Yeah, it would be good to go on one of those, but getting wasted in public now – call him paranoid – would left him vulnerable and at Byakuya's mercy. No, he should get wasted between the walls of his home, but drinking on his own was boring. Maybe he could invite the Shinigami Men's Association to drink with him. What a good idea. He should definitely do that.

So, an hour after he was notified about the arrival of the Men's Association members, bottle of sake in hand and a servant behind him – yes, life in Kasumioji House had its perks – carrying more sake, Renji entered the room that he had lent Iba for the meetings.

"Hey, guys," Renji greeted as he put the sake bottle on the one of the cabinets that stretched along the inside wall. "Since you're probably already finished, I though we could have a drink together." He turned and the smile he wore on his face froze.

"Only if it's the good stuff." Omaeda said. His large belly hanging over the brown sash jumped as he strained his neck to see the label on the bottle. "I'm only used to fine things."

Renji, ignoring Omaeda, stared at the man - not just any man - at Byakuya, glad that his hands were empty, because otherwise the bottle would have ended up broken on the floor and his surprise over Byakuya -with oval sunglasses, dressed in distinguished Men's Association clothes: _hakama_, brown sash and _kosode_ thrown over his shoulders, sitting between Omaeda and Ukitake-_taichou -_ would be much more apparent. _What the hell is he doing here?_

"A good idea." Kira helped the servant with arranging the cups around the low table.

_Damn_, Renji silently groaned. He couldn't get out of it now, it would be too rude. He slowly neared the table and sat down between Hisagi and Iba, as far away from Byakuya as he could. Not that it helped him much when his gaze was constantly drawn toward the black-haired beauty and his naked chest, the sight that lighted a fire in the pit of his stomach.

"It's weird seeing him like that, isn't it?" Hisagi nodded toward Byakuya. "I still don't know how Iba managed to persuade him to join us."

"I didn't, not this time. He came to me." Iba leaned closer to Renji and Hisagi. "He probably realized how important Men's Association is for Soul Society and decided to help us regain the former glory that those women took from us."

"Yes, that has to be it." Hisagi rolled his eyes, leaned his elbow on the table, his fingers wrapped around his cup. He lifted it up and took a sip.

Renji imitated him, with the difference that he drained his cup. He poured another one which soon followed the fate of the first, and then another one, and another one.

The hours passed by and Renji became more relaxed with every glass despite the oppressive presence that lingered in the corner of his existence. Yeah, he leaned back in the _zaisu_, Byakuya was just an oppressive presence, nothing more, the bastard. Always bossing him around like he was some kind of dog or something. He poured another glass to himself, turned to offer to do the same for Hisagi, when he noticed that the room was empty, with exception of one man, who in that moment towered over him. "Kanpai, _taichou_." Renji grinned and lifted his cup.

"You are drunk." Byakuya's hand curled around Renji's cup, and careful not to spill anything, he pulled it out of Renji's grasp.

"You are so mean, _taichou_. So mean." Renji leaned his upper body on the table; his right arm straightened, he leaned his cheek on it. "Bullying me with that glare of yours all the time. And taking my drink." His lips made a pout. "I'm not going to take you out for your birthdays anymore, you jerk."

Byakuya set the cup out of Renji's reach before he buried his fingers in Renji's red mane, tugging at the tie until it snapped and the hair spilled over the table and Renji's shoulder and arm. "Renji," he breathed out and kneeled beside Renji.

Renji stared into grey eyes, warmth spreading through his body at the touch of Byakuy'a hand that brushed the strands off his face, then cupped his neck and forced him to lift his head. "Huh?"

Byakuya's lips descended on Renji's, he entangled them into a kiss, intense and full of longing.

Renji opened himself to the kiss, the ardent joy filling him, consuming him, drowning him in its intensity. He wrapped his arms around Byakuya's shoulder, pressed himself against his pale, smooth chest and let Byakuya to pull him into a sensual delirium.


	3. Chapter 3

**Martinet's foible, III. part**

Renji cradled his head like that would hush the pounding in his skull and shut out the light that poured through his eyelids. He wrinkled his forehead, searching for clues as to what had happened yesterday.

Images of Hisagi, Iba, Kira and other members of that club flashed before Renji's eyes, just to be replaced with Byakuya's grey eyes, the pale skin and those elegant, pleasure-giving fingers.

"Shit!" Renji groaned, rolled on his stomach and pressed his face into the pillow, the dull ache in his lower body an obviousindication of what happened.

So, he had slept with a man, and even if that man was Byakuya, as long as he could blame it on alcohol it wasn't too tragic, especially when he rarely said no to pleasure, but to moan and demand more like a wanton slut - worse, like a wanton and love-struck slut in heat was more than Renji could take. He had made such a fool of himself. Again. He mumbled into the pillow: "I'm never drinking again."

The mattress beneath him moved and a cold hand touched Renji's shoulder, then, slid over Renji's back before something soft pressed against his shoulder blade.

Renji stiffened.

"Are you awake?" Byakuya's voice was soft and low.

Renji bit in his lip, hating how his lower body reacted to Byakuya's closeness, to that gentle sound that he had never expected to hear, let alone be directed at him, and the warm breath against his skin. He tried to ignore the light brush of fingers, the feeling of intimacy that descended over them like a blanket and the urge that demanded that he turn and wrap his arms around Byakuya's shoulders. _Shit!_ His hand curled. What was happening to him? He was a stray dog accustomed to disapproval, shouts and kicks, too old and too wild to be domesticated, and he certainly wasn't ready to become Byakuya's pet, to wag his tail whenever his master gave him a little affection. But he wanted the affection, oh, how much he wanted the affection, the love, the approval, the circle of arms that would always be there. For him. Only for him. He exhaled a shaky breath. Where did that come from?

"Renji." Byakuya's hand became bolder in its exploration; it slid under Renji's body. "I know you are awake, there's no point in pretending."

Renji sucked air into his lungs as Byakuya's fingers touched his abdomen and a bolt of lust shot straight to his groin. He pushed Byakuya's hand away and with his fingers holding the sheet before him, he jumped up, away from Byakuya, away from the bed.

"Renji?" Byakuya lifted himself into a sitting position. He patted the spot beside him. "Come back."

His _taichou_ was beautiful in the light grey _yukata_, with his black hair tousled and with a light flush dusting his cheeks, Renji couldn't help but notice. He shifted uncomfortably. "What are you doing here?"

"This is my room."

"What?" Renji looked around. His gaze slid over the big bed resting on a platform in the middle of the room, with a nightstand on each side of bed and a long bench at its the end. There were also two cabinets and the _fusuma _with the image of the mountain that led to the bathroom, a familiar sight from Renji's previous visit.

"How? How did I get here?" He narrowed his eyes at Byakuya, and crossed his arms. The sheet slid down and Renji caught it at the last instant before it would have revealed his semi-hard flesh. He silently cursed.

"I arranged transportation, how else?" Byakuya said. "Now, come here."

"No." Renji stepped toward the sliding door that led out to the hallway, spotting a wooden chest by the bench. Even his clothes were here. He went toward it, opened it and pulled out his well-worn white _yukata_.

"Stop being so stubborn." Byakuya moved to the foot of the bed and reached out for Renji.

Renji moved out of the way and straightened. He put on his robe, quickly tying the sash around his waist. What now? He scratched his neck. This was so awkward. Should he just leave? Escape while he still could? He looked at Byakuya's hand that fell down. Should he just turn around and walk toward the door like he did the last time? He turned toward the door, his stride a little clumsy.

"Is this how it's going to be?"

Renji looked over his shoulder, seeing the annoyance and tension in the tilt of Byakuya's head. That wasn't good. He turned straight ahead and his step accelerated as he opened the door, ready to rush down the hallway.

"Fine. Have it your way." Byakuya said. "_Bakudo, Number 4_, _Hainawa_."

Yellow ropes wrapped around Renji's limbs, tying them against Renji's body. He crashed down on the floor. His jaw tensed. "What the fuck?"

Byakuya went toward him and towered over him, his gaze hard and his lips in a narrow line. "I told you before. I will not allow you to run away anymore."

#

"So boring." Renji in rolled from his belly onto his back and put his hands under his head. "It's your own fault, you shouldn't provoke me," he imitated Byakuya's voice in falsetto, the argument that happened two days ago fresh in his mind. He just wanted to go out drinking with the gang and since Byakuya was against his going out, always hissing that Renji just wanted to see that man – what was with that? What man? - Renji had tried to sneak out. Of course the guards that Byakuya appointed to 'look after' Renji got Renji before he even managed to get to the mansion's walls, even though he used the flash steps.

"Are you still pouting?"

Renji bent his neck backwards, his eyes trailing up Byakuya's legs and torso, to stop on the emotionless face. Should he be smiling because Byakuya kept him locked in this house like he was some kind of animal? He couldn't even do his job as _fuku-taichou_ anymore. It was a wonder nobody made a fuss about it, but he guessed that as long as Byakuya managed Renji's duty nobody minded his absence. "Hmmm." He directed his gaze at the ceiling.

"I see." Byakuya pushed his hands in the sleeves of his _kosode_. "Would some sweets or sake put you in a better mood?"

Trying to bribe him with food, Renji didn't like that. "Stop treating me like I'm a child."

"Then stop behaving like one." Byakuya's burning eyes were on Renji, waiting on Renji's reply, but when there was none, his gaze darkened. He turned on his heel and left the room.

Renji sighed. He was so sick of it, of the quarrels, of the uneasiness and irritation that was always lingering between them. He tried to be patient, not to snap and to hold himself back without losing himself under Byakuya's constant demands and orders, and his annoyance when they weren't obeyed. He rolled onto his side. But the nights, the nights were different, full of carnal delight with Byakuya drawing him into fervid bliss and lifting him to heights he had never before experienced. He loved those nights.

Maybe he wouldn't be so 'stubborn' if Byakuya would stop behaving like he was his pet; the way he kept him locked in the house, away from his friends, and treated him like he was an object obvious evidence of Byakuya's pet treatment. The only thing missing was a leash and a collar with Byakuya's name as the owner on the tag.

Damn! No matter how things changed, he was still just a dog howling at the moon, hoping for affection and love where there could never be any. Renji curled into a ball. Knowing that hurt. So much.

He didn't know how long he lay there, just feeling sorry for himself – he was so pathetic lately. He took a deep breath. He needed to talk to somebody or to at least have a moment away from Byakuya and this house that was suffocating him, pressing down on him and wringing the joy out of his life. His fingers dug into the mat. "I'm fucking drowning here."

His fingers slipped into a slot.

"What?"

Renji pulled himself on his knees, his fingers following the rift until he touched a small clamp; he pressed against it and after a small click he was able to lift the flap. He stared at the hole that led under the floor. Secret tunnels. How had this happened? He frowned. A story Ichigo told about his visit to Kuchiki's manor came to his mind. Yachiru! That little pink-haired troublemaker. Renji chuckled.

He took his _zanpakuto_, which lay in the corner, smoothed the edges of his _yukata_ and climbed into the hole, determinate that he would come back before anybody even noticed he was gone. He just needed some fresh air.

Keeping the layout of the house in his mind, he crawled through the tunnels until he found himself out in the open, a stone's throw away from the manor. He put some distance between himself and the house, not concerning himself with the fact that he was barefoot.

He thought about his friends, searching among them for the person he could talk to about the things that were bothering him, but at the end he discarded all of them. Nobody would understand, not when Renji had until now shown a happy façade, and besides maybe he wasn't ready to show his weakness to people when he hadn't came to terms with it himself yet, not to mention that those asses hadn't even come to visit once since he had been forcefully moved into Kuchiki's house. He found a narrow alley, sat down on the pavement and leaned his back against the building. Maybe he should just go back, find a dark corner and have a heart-to-heart talk with his _zanpakuto_, which lately had become an almost daily occurrence.

"Hey!"

Renji looked up to see an orange head staring down at him from the roof top. He snorted. Just his luck.

"I thought I could feel a familiar _reiatsu_." Ichigo reappeared before Renji.

"What are you doing here?" Renji pulled his knees against his chest.

"Looking for you." Ichigo crouched down. "Where have you been lately?"

"Are you an idiot or something? By now everybody knows that I'm living in Kuchiki manor."

"I didn't mean that." Ichigo said. "Every time that I drop by, you are nowhere to be found, and Rukia complained that you two were still not speaking, that she hadn't seen you in a while even though she was in the Kuchiki estate quite a few times. It's like you have isolated yourself from everybody. You don't even go to the barracks anymore." He leaned his hands on his knees. "The others are worried about you too; they said that whenever they try to see you, Byakuya always turns them away for one reason or another." He propped his chin on his hand. "And today when I went to the Kuchiki house, they threw me out when I asked about you."

Renji hung his head, his braided hair sliding forward, and scratched his neck. So that's how it was; that douchebag was even trying to cut him away from his friends. Why?

"Renji, what's going on?"

Renji looked up. "I don't know."

"Are you being kept there against your will?"

Renji frowned; he was, sort of, but Ichigo wouldn't understand the situation. He didn't even understand it. Somehow he knew that Byakuya's actions didn't aim to hurt him, even though every time Byakuya pushed his will on him it made another cut on his heart. Maybe Byakuya was struggling with the whole situation like Renji was? Or at least that was what Renji told to himself every time he lay spent and sated between the cold sheets, with Byakuya's warmth against his back, hoping that the fragile connection and understanding that tied them together in those moment would still be there in the morning. But they never were.

So, should he lie to Ichigo? He didn't want to, he had already spouted too many lies about his happiness already.

"And what are you doing sitting here?"

Renji gave Ichigo a sour smile. "Taking a breather."

"From what?"

_The better question would be from whom._ Renji silently sighed.

"What are you two doing?" A dark shadow blocked the sun that lit the narrow space between buildings.

"Byakuya." Ichigo greeted.

"_Taichou_?" Renji's eyes widened. He had only been gone for less than half an hour. How could Byakuya have noticed? Or found him?

"Kurosaki Ichigo, how long are you going to address me without the proper suffix?" Byakuya glared at Ichigo, a storm raging around his still silhouette.

"You still call him 'Captain?" Ignoring Byakuya, Ichigo leaned over Renji. "Isn't that a little weird? You are sort of married."

"Shut up." Renji pushed Ichigo away.

Byakuya took a step forward. "And since you have no business here, you should leave. Immediately."

"I'm not leaving." Ichigo stood up and crossed his arms. "I came here to hang out with Renji and until Renji tells me to leave, I'm staying."

Renji pulled himself up and put his hand on Ichigo's shoulder. It warmed his heart that Ichigo cared enough to stand up for him, but the thing Renji needed was to stand up to Byakuya himself, not just to act like a spoiled child testing Byakuya's patience. "Go home, Ichigo. And don't worry about me. I'm fine."

Over his shoulder Ichigo gave the redhead that stubborn look he had whenever he fought.

"I don't need you to fight for me." Renji groaned as he recognised the look in Ichigo's eyes. "I'm not a fucking damsel in distress."

Ichigo's gaze measured Renji from top to toe. "You don't look the part either."

"Are you trying to make me mad?"

"You two, stop ignoring me." Byakuya's cold voice cut into their bickering.

"Look, Byakuya, I'm not going anywhere." Ichigo said.

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, the air around him crackling.

"Don't make him mad," Renji more whispered than said as he moved to stand in front of Ichigo. He could deal with an annoyed Byakuya, he was used to it by now, and as much as he took a wicked pleasure in provoking Byakuyato to get just a little bit even, he never tried to awaken rage in him. Angry Byakuya was scarier and deadlier than Kazeshini on a rampage, and something that Renji avoided at all costs.

"Renji, return to the manor. I'll address your disobedience later."

"Is he for real?"

"Yes," Renji groaned. "_Taichou_, go home, please. I'll follow you as soon as I have a short talk with Ichigo."

Byakuya frowned, and if looks could kill, Renji would be lying dead on the ground. "I will not repeat myself."

Ichigo sidestepped Renji. "Why are you doing this? Treating him like he's your servant or slave."

"You are meddling in affairs that don't concern you," Byakuya said, his voice even, his posture seemingly relaxed, but his grey eyes burning with suppressed anger.

"Renji is my friend. He does concern me." Ichigo said. "Just because you managed to deceive him into a Joining, that doesn't mean you can –"

Renji covered Ichigo's mouth. "Damn it Ichigo, don't provoke him."

With eyebrows low over his eyes, Byakuya drew his sword and lifted it, the tip of the katana pointing at the sky. "_Chire_..."

"Shit," Renji hissed. He jumped up, pulling Ichigo behind him.

...Senbonzakura." Byakuya's blade dispersed into thousands of slender blades.

"Why did you have to say that to him?" Renji felt the need to punch Ichigo's face, but he was too busy avoiding the blades, jumping here and there, pulling Ichigo by his collar behind him.

"Is true, isn't it? He deceived you and he's treating you like a slave." Ichigo pried Renji's fingers away from his _kosode_. He pushed Renji away and moved aside just before a wave of blades could hit them.

"It's not exactly like that," Renji shouted as he moved alongside Ichigo. And he was telling the truth, it wasn't like that. It was complicated and messy and, yeah, Byakuya had deceived him and he had been treating him like a slave, but, Renji couldn't quite explain it, it wasn't like that.

"It looks like that to me and you shouldn't tolerate it." Ichigo said before he changed his direction and jumped sideways, the blades missing him by a mouse's tail.

"Maybe," Renji said, but Ichigo was already out earshot, the pink, deadly cloud close at his heels. Why was it only following Ichigo?

"_Getsuga tensho_."

Renji turned to see energy blast from the tip of Ichigo's blade and crash down on Byakuya.

Byakuya sidestepped the blast that made a narrow and deep hole in the ground and in the wall of the building behind Byakuya. The cloud of pink flew to him forming a sword. He turned his _katan _tip to the ground and released it. "_Bankai_."

The blade fell down, diving into the pavement as if it were water and the energy turned the area even darker, with two rows of a thousand giant blades emerging up from the ground.

Renji didn't have to look at Ichigo to know that he was in his _bankai _form too, Ichigo's shout of "_Bankai_" being a good enough indication. "Damn, this is going too far." He had never expected that of the three of them, he would be the voice of reason. What was this Soul Society coming to? He rushed down toward Byakuya. "_Taichou_, please stop with this."

"Renji, get out of the way!" Ichigo yelled.

"Renji, why are you still here? I told you to go home. Do I really need to repeat myself?"

"Come on, _taichou_." Renji almost pleaded. "He didn't mean to insult you, and he's sorry if he did."

"Don't speak for me, Renji. I haven't done anything wrong. He's the one being unreasonable, not even allowing you to spend some time with your friends."

"You don't really want to fight with Ichigo." Renji hadn't moved his eyes from Byakuya; he stepped closer to him.

"You just want to be with that man. I will not allow it," Byakuya said.

"Shit!" Renji just knew what was about to follow, but he was damned if he would let his friend get hurt because of him or let Ichigo get out of control and hurt Byakuya because of some minor misunderstanding that had made Ichigo believe that Renji needed to be saved. "_Bankai._" Renji's sword transformed into a skeletal snake.

"Chire Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." The large swords scattered and their sharp fragments surged toward Ichigo.

Renji flash jumped to Ichigo, pulling the snake with him. "_Hihio_ Zabimaru. _Maru_." Zabimaru wove its body around Ichigo and Renji just as the deadly fragments made a clumsy turn, a few of them slicing the skin on Renji's arm anyway.

"Renji!"

"Are you crazy?" Ichigo yelled pushing him aside.

"Shut up." Renji looked at his bleeding arm, at the shallow, stinging cuts on his skin.

"You are an idiot." Ichigo threw his hand in the air. "I can beat Byakuya, I already did it, while you can't. And you are the one trying to save me!"

"Can you just shut up!" Renji tore the edge of his _shitaki_ and wove it around his arm. "I know that, okay. I know that, it's just..."

"Just what?"

"I don't want you and Byakuya fighting. You are my friend and ..."

"Renji!" Byakuya's voice could be heard through the skeletal segments.

"I don't want you to be hurt." Renji said. "And I know you can take him – I just don't want him to be hurt either."

Ichigo sighed and slumped down on the ground.

"Renji!"

"What are you going to do with him?" Ichigo nodded toward Byakuya's voice.

"Renji, if you are doing something with that man, I won't forgive you!"

"I don't know." Renji furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't know what his problem is. I mean..."

"He's sounds like he's jealous."

"Yeah, right. You have the same crazy ideas Rukia does."

"Renji, please." Byakuya's voice was so low that Renji could hardly hear it.

Renji could feel Byakuya's hands touching Zabimaru, sliding his palms against the smooth texture of the segments, and the nudges of Byakuya's _reiatsu _like he was trying to push his way in. He knew the pain when Zabimaru got cut or crushed, but he had never been able to feel the touch against his _zanpakuto _before.

"What crazy ideas?"

"She said that he's in love with me." Renji stepped toward where he could hear Byakuya's voice through the wall of Zabimaru's body. He put his left hand over the place where he could feel Byakuya's palm on the other side.

"Renji," Byakuya whispered, but Renji could hear it as if Byakuya stood beside him before Byakuya's _reiatsu_ withdrew, telling Renji that Byakuya was leaving.

"What if she's right?"

"She couldn't be." Renji still held his hand against Zabimaru.

"That's a funny thought. Byakuya being crazy about you." Ichigo smirked before the corner of his lips straightened. "But he did sound sort of desperate just now. And how he quickly pulled out his sword... so not like the cold and composed Byakuya that I know."

_Yeah_. With his head strangely empty, Renji withdrew his hand and pulled his _reiatsu_ out of the snake, which disappeared in a shimmer, leaving behind a normal looking katana, which compared to the brown hilt that widened into a snake tail seem so much lighter in Renji's hand. He saw people rushing in his direction, and to avoid them he jumped up and in flash disappeared from the alley and the devastation of the buildings that carried the damage from Ichigo and Byakuya's small fight.

"Where are you going?" Ichigo appeared beside Renji.

"Home."

"You mean to Kuchiki manor?"

"Yes." Renji nodded. He needed to go home – who would have thought he would ever call Kuchiki manor that? – to see what that touch and that strangely tender voice had really meant. And he needed to see if there was an even small possibility that Rukia was right. As impossible as that sounded, it would explain Byakuya's behaviour just now and... A soft smile played on his lips. That would mean that all that happened between them was just a misunderstanding.

_Wait!_ Renji stopped, his lips narrowed. What about the Joining? If Byakuya had feelings for him wouldn't he have told him about them before the Joining?

"What?" Ichigo asked.

"Nothing." Renji shook his head before he focused on Ichigo. "I'm glad you came, you know... but..."

"I'm not wanted anymore?"

Renji smiled and scratched his head in embarrassment. "Well..."

"I understand, sort of." Ichigo said. "You are such an idiot, being with him for more than a month and by the look of things you two haven't even had a decent conversation."

Under normal circumstances Renji would have grabbed Ichigo's collar and yelled: 'Who are you calling an idiot?' But Ichigo was right, but not about the idiot part, and not that Renji was ready to admit that. "We talk."

"Yeah, right. He probably orders you around and you either obey him or ignore him."

That was – too true. Renji didn't know what to say back.

"I'm right?"

"Shut up." Renji started to move toward the Kuchiki house again.

"I can't believe it. I'm right." Ichigo followed him.

"Shut up."

"It's okay." Ichigo patted Renji on his shoulder, a grin on his face. "Just go and have a good talk with your... master."

Renji reached out for Ichigo, but the cheeky brat was too quick for him.

Ichigo chuckled, waved goodbye and went on his way.

Renji, for a moment, watched Ichigo's back before he continued his stride toward the house. He used Yachiru's tunnels to get back into Byakuya's part of the house. He looked through the rooms to find Byakuya in the bedroom kneeling on the pillow before the opened _fusuma _looking out in the garden.

Renji stepped into the room, slid the door closed behind him and put Zabimaru in the corner beside the pedestal on which Senbonzakura lay.

"I dismissed the guards," Byakuya said without turning around. "You are free to leave this house."

Renji stepped toward Bykauya and stopped just behind him.

"That man was right. I have been treating you like you're my slave. I apologize."

Byakuya's voice was even, his shoulders square, and his posture seemed relaxed, but Renji could see the slight tremor in Byakuya's hands before he laced his fingers.

"I hope you will find it in you to forgive me for my behaviour," Byakuya said. "I can't nullify our Joining, but I can approve your transfer from the sixth division. I'll sign the papers tomorrow."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Isn't that what you want? Isn't that the reason you either ignored me or argued with me, and tried to get out of this house?"

"Byakuya." Renji for the first time called his _taichou_ by his name, delighting at the small flinch of Byakuya's shoulders. "Why did you want the Joining with me?"

"Because I could."

Renji rolled his eyes. Well, that spoke volumes. He stepped before Byakuya, annoyed when he saw that cold mask on his _taichou_'s face. "To gain more influence?"

"No." Byakuya didn't look up. "Of course not."

"Then why?"

"I wanted you. I've always wanted you." Byakuya's brows furrowed. "I still do."

What was that supposed to mean? Did that mean Byakuya wanted him as an object? Renji didn't like that, not one bit. He silently sighed. This was like trying to get seconds at Uruhara, and damn, he didn't have patience for that. He resisted the urge to turn away, to just leave without knowing. It would be so easy, but if he did, he would always regret it. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid." Byakuya looked up, only his eyes betraying his uneasiness and the storm inside. "I was afraid that if you knew, you would try to stop me. And you did, but at that point I couldn't stop myself anymore. As long as I could have you, tie you to me, I didn't care anymore if you were willing or not. I was determined that I would change your mind, that you would like me in that way, but... you fought with me every step of the way, and instead of our relationship getting better it got worse."

Renji kneeled down before Byakuya.

"I just wanted to hold on to you, wanted to spend time with you, but there were so many people taking you away from me..." For the first time, Byakuya's voice cracked and his gaze dropped down to his hands. "I was so happy when I learned about your adoption into the Kasumioji family, but after the Joining nothing went the way I planned. I made you miserable. I apologize."

Renji stared at Byakuya, whose posture still seemed relaxed and at ease – his _taichou_ was good at that – but there was something fragile in the curve of Byakuya's neck, at the way his hair fell down over the side of his face. He was a proud man, Kuchiki Byakuya, a very proud man, and to be apologizing for his behaviour to Renji... for Byakuya, that had to be almost like bearing his soul. Renji wanted to reach out for him, to touch him, to wrap his arms around him and tell him that he wasn't going anywhere. But there was still something he needed to know, to hear those three words; they were there between the lines, but Renji needed to hear them clearly, and it seemed that he would need some additional patience to drag them out of Byakuya. Damn. "Byakuya."

Byakuya looked up.

"I'm not going to go easy on you. You speak of wanting me, but those are not the right words if you want me to stay."

"You are prepared to stay?"

"If you say it."

"Say what?"

Renji groaned; this was getting more difficult than getting seconds at Uruhara. "You know, express your feelings like a normal person would."

There was silence for a few moments before Byakuya levelled his gaze with Renji's. "I lo – like you. Very much."

That would have to do, Renji guessed, because just hearing 'I like you' from Byakuya's mouth was a miracle in itself and if he wanted to hear 'love' from those pink lips, he would probably have to wait forever.

"Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Yes." Renji nodded and touched Byakyu's face. "I like you, too, you know."

"You do?" Byakuya said, then his eyes slid onto the sloppily wrapped bandage that protruded from the sleeve of Renji's _kosode_. "I did this?"

"It's nothing." Renji pulled his hand away.

"_Keikatsu_."

The scratches itched as they closed up. "It was really nothing." Renji pulled the bandages off and examined the skin.

"I wish I could erase everything else as easily as this and we could begin again."

"Why would we want to do that?" Renji inched closer to Byakuya until his knees touched Byakuya's. "I already like you, didn't you hear me say that?"

"Yes, but..."

"But nothing." Renji cupped Byakuya's neck and pulled him closer. He captured Byakuya in what should have been a quick kiss, but which, after Byakuya wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer, turned into a voluptuous feast.

#

It was warm, too warm and the sheets were annoyingly damp, but Renji wouldn't have moved for anything. He rolled onto his back and put his hand over Byakuya's arm that was wrapped around his waist, a satisfied sigh escaping from his throat. Life was good.

Byakuya moved higher, he put his head on the pillow beside Renji's, and as he half-leaned against Renji's side, his fingers absently stroked Renji's palm. "Renji."

"Huh?"

"Should I wait before I engaged you in a coupling? I haven't forced you to do anything that you didn't want to, have I? "

Renji couldn't help himself, he started to laugh.

"Did I say something funny?"

"Well, your choice of words is quite traditional, isn't it?" Renji smiled as he half-turned toward Byakuya. He buried his fingers in black silken hair. "And no, you haven't forced me."

"Good."

They lay there for a few silent moments, just enjoying the presence of each other and the small caresses that they bestowed upon each other.

Renji broke the silence. "Hey."

"What?"

"You do know that it's not going to be easy?" Renji said, and when Byakuya just stared at him like he hadn't the faintest idea what Renji was talking about, he continued. "You and me. We are so different. You are too proper and everything you do is thought out, while I'm too spontaneous and have a big mouth."

"But that's why I like you." Byakuya's nose touched Renji's. "You are like a fire, beautiful and warm and even dangerous, and if you burn me, I'll just heal myself and continue to bask in your heat. And as long as you listen to me there won't be any problems."

Renji's hand stilled. "You don't really expect me to obey you outside of division, do you?" He had thought this was sorted out when Byakuya apologized for his behaviour. _Say no, say no._

"It would have been nice," Byakuya said. "But no, I don't expect that you would obey me, maybe just not oppose me as much as you did in this last month. And when I said 'listen to me,' I was implying more about etiquette when dealing with my family."

"Oh, okay. I can do that."

"Even if you can't." Byakuya leaned closer, his breath caressed Renji's cheek. "I'm used to you being a handful."

Renji wanted to reply and protest being called a handful, he really did, but when those lips touched his cheek and kissed their way toward his mouth, and delicate hands slipped under the sheet to caress his body, all coherent thoughts flew out of his head. Not that he really minded that, when a fever heat crashed down on him and swept him into an abyss of raw rapture. Yeah, life was good.

**The end**


End file.
